A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty

A Novel

By: Joshilyn Jackson

Narrated by: Joshilyn Jackson

Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A Grown Up Kind of Pretty is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family.

Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb - spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood - is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it's there. Liza, her stroke-ravaged mother, is haunted by choices she made as a teenager. But it is Jenny, Mosey's strong and big-hearted grandmother, whose maternal love braids together the strands of the women's shared past - and who will stop at nothing to defend their future.

©2011 Joshilyn Jackson (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A mesmerizing tale of a family coping with the revelation of a secret that will change their lives...Jackson's most absorbing book yet, a lush, rich read with three very different but equally compelling characters at its core." (Kristine Huntley, Booklist, starred review)

"A deeply felt, engaging story." (The Atlantic)

"Highly immersive... a compelling page turner." (Publishers Weekly)

Excellent--as good as The Help

Great story. Well written. Really well read. I ended up listening nonstop from beginning to end. That happens only with the greats. This would be an excellent travel listen

One of the Best Author Narrators EVER!

Joshilyn Jackson writes Southern women’s fiction and she does it well. Her books are funny and full of brassy women but have a core of heartache and pain at their centers. This book is no exception. A Grown Up Kind of Pretty focuses on the Slocumb women (Jenny, Liza and Mosey)—all of whom have a secret or two. When a small grave is dug up in the backyard, it sets off a chain of events that leads to a new kind of understanding between them—while also putting their future at risk. If you’re already a Joshilyn Jackson fan, this continues her winning streak. If you’ve not read any of her books before, this is a great place to start. It gives you a sense of Jackson’s writing style and introduces you to some of her more memorable characters. (That Liza!)

A small Southern town with a big secret

I was expecting this book to have a bit more of that campy Southern humor but it was more on the serious side of three woman of different generations.   They are each trying to make it through, with each others help, a delicate, crucial juncture in their lives.  A little slow in the beginning and it bounced around a bit to create a back story, but once it did take off, it was a top notch complex mystery. 

Those southern ladies surely can spread news at hypersonic speed, true or not.  Their half truth gossip adds even more layers to an already multilayered, paradoxical listen.   Joshilyn Jackson does a first rate job narrating. 

LOVED THIS STORY & NARRATION!!

What a treat this book was! I enjoyed so much listening to the author read her own work. I became quite attached to the characters, they became real to me while listening. I enjoyed the twists and turns, and unpredictability of the story. I was so sad for this book to end.

Southern Dysfunctional Family Story

Any additional comments?

No one does Southern middle-lower class novels better than Joshilyn Jackson. Characters are rich and true to life, and usually that means a very hard life. Your heart draws you into the lives of the people in the story but you also watch the travails and joys of the characters from the aspect of the author and narrator. Maybe because Jackson narrated the story, it made it even richer. All of her books are different but all draw you into believing each story line and that somewhere those characters lived. Will always read her books!

okay.

i certainly wanted it to be over. and i didn't really enjoy it that much.

Unforgettable Story

If you could sum up A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty in three words, what would they be?

Unforgettable, funny and sad

What did you like best about this story?

The lyrical and poetic style of writing.

What about Joshilyn Jackson’s performance did you like?

Good pace of reading the story and good differentiation between characters.

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous

Never wanted to stop listening. Great winding path of a story with satisfying depth to each character.

A great story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitively recommend this book to others, the story is great and it keeps you guessing what is going to happen.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best about this story is the power of love that sorrounds the story. Even though the characters don't believe in happy endings, they are suprised by the power of love, being God or whatever you prefer to call it.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was ok, the voice is a little distracting, but once you get used to it, it flows fine with the story.

Realistic Characters and a great story

I purchased this because of the great reviews and I was not disappointed. I loved the characters Big, Liza and Mosey. Such an entertaining story I hated for it to end.